Backyard Wrestling
by acosta perez jose ramiro
Summary: Angelica has a new game in mind, and is eager to play it. And where did she learn this game on first place? Take a look. Rating due some scenes on later chapters.
1. Learning The Ropes

Hello, guys, I'm back, and of course… (I'm back too! Yeah, the star is back in the house!) Angie, I wonder if you'll ever control that ego of yours. (Oh, I don't know… the day after you get on a diet.) Touché; well, girl, you know what to do. (Asking my parents for a new cell phone?) Angelica…

(I'm just kidding, Acosta. Okay, here I come. DISCLAIMER; the wannabe writer doing this stuff doesn't own any character portrayed on the story, all the _Rugrats/All Grown Up _characters owned by Nickelodeon, but please, don't arrest or sue the poor guy; he is doing this just for entertainment's sake, therefore the author isn't gaining money from this. Neither do I, but hey, any publicity is good one.)

Thanks… I guess. Okay, now, before we start, a last note; all the characters will be on their 'Rugrat' age, which means Angelica is 3 in this story, Chuckie is 2 and a half, and so. (And I'm beautiful, as always.) And bossy, and loud, and… (Cut that or you'll not get to write next line, mister!) Okay, okay, forgive me for living. (About time you asked for that… okay, I forgive you.) I was being sarcastic! (I wasn't.)

Well, that's enough with the author notes. (Finally! The readers are already leaving and the story hadn't even started.) Why I stand you? (Because, without me, you wouldn't write half of your stories) Good point; fine, go ahead and start the fic.

(And now… ON WITH THE SHOW!)

**Backyard Wrestling.**

**A **_**Rugrats **_**story by Acosta Pérez José Ramiro.**

**- Learning the Ropes.**

"Hi, Aunt Didi."

"Hello, Angelica; come in." Didi Pickles greeted her favorite and (thanks to God) only niece, who was staying on her place for the day. "Your grandpa is at the living room and the babies are at the backyard."

Angelica nodded and, after giving a quick kiss to her father, ran inside the house. Drew waved bye to his daughter before turning at Didi.

"Thanks again, Didi; Charlotte and I will be quite busy today and…"

"Oh, don't worry, Drew; I'm already taking care of all the kids and one more isn't that much." Didi shrugged.

"Well, thanks anyway… oh, and, Didi…" Drew got an uneasy expression. "I have a certain… thing to discuss with you… since you're the one who reads all those child psychology books and all…"

"There's any problem with Angelica?"

"Not exactly… is just that Charlotte and I had to tell her one of those… 'Cover-up stories' and you're the only person I know I can talk with concerning this. Would be quite embarrassing with anyone else; and in Drew's case, I would never hear the end of it."

Didi nodded at her brother-in-law and they walked to the kitchen for a little talk while Angelica headed to the living room. Normally, she would go directly either with the babies to have her own kind of fun with them or to the kitchen to 'borrow' some cookies, but this time she needed to talk with her grandpa, and knowing he and Grandma Lulu were at the retirement home most of the time, this could be the only chance she would have to talk to him without anyone else listening.

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"Come on, bat it! One good swing and that's it!" Lou, as many other men in his position, shouted at the baseball player on screen. "In my times we could have connected those balls with ease; that pitcher is slower than my digestion."

"Hi, Grandpa!" Angelica greeted the elder, Lou calming down immediately.

"Oh, hi, Angelica; your aunt is taking care of you today too?" Lou asked his granddaughter.

"Yes. How is Grandma Lulu?"

"Oh, she's fine, as always." Lou chuckled. "She and your uncle Stu went to the market to buy something for dinner, and they'll be back soon. Want to watch the game with me, or you're going to play with the other kids?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something." Angelica said to the man, in her best 'cute girl talking to an adult' tone and face. "Daddy said you used to be a _rassler _that fought bad guys and also made pretzels; is that true?"

Lou chuckled a little bit, shaking his head and motioning Angelica to seat next to him while turning off the TV; the game wasn't that good anyway.

"Well, actually, is 'wrestler', no 'rassler', but yes, I was an amateur wrestler when younger."

"What's an amateur?"

"An 'amateur' is someone who doesn't get money for playing a sport or game but does it for fun, and sometimes, if he or she is very good, stops being 'amateur' and turns 'professional', someone who gets money for doing it."

"You mean that, when I play rope jumping, I'm an amateur, and if someone likes how I do it and pays me I become professional?"

"More or less," Lou chuckled slightly. "Anyway, I was an amateur wrestler, and all wrestlers get funny names or scary ones, like 'The Bulldog' or 'The Undertaker'; my wrestling name was 'The Pretzel-Maker', but I didn't make or sell pretzels for real."

"Oh… and wrestlers fight, right?"

"Yes, they do."

"But you and everyone else always say fighting is bad."

Lou looked around and then whispered at Angelica.

"Well, your aunt doesn't like me watching wrestling or talking about it because she says it's bad, and yes, fighting normally is a very bad thing to do, but wrestling isn't like other fights."

"And how it works?" Angelica asked, the man noticing she was quite interested. Now, Lou knew Didi and, probably, Charlotte as well, wouldn't approve him having this talk with Angelica, but then again, no grandfather can resist having his grandchild's attention, and he also liked those memories.

"I'm telling you, but this is our secret. Okay?" Lou winked an eye to the blonde, who nodded and paid him full attention.

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"Pass me the ball! Pass it!" Kimi laughed, getting Lil's attention, the pink-bowed baby carrying a little ball and trying to escape Phil and his attempts to grab it.

"Here goes!" Lil threw the ball, Phil falling on his belly, but Kimi couldn't catch it since Tommy intercepted it. The bald baby ran away with the ball while Dil, sitting in his baby chair, giggled at the scene; the youngest Pickles was still too little to even crawl, so he had to play spectator, as usual, but didn't mind at all, enjoying watching the older babies running around.

"Chuckie, get the ball!" Tommy, now with Lil and Kimi behind him, and Phil trying to follow them, realized the redhead baby wasn't covered and threw the ball at him.

"I got it, I got it…"

WHAM!

"And he got it." Phil commented as the game stopped, the babies dashing as fast as they could to check on Chuckie after he slammed against the backyard's fence.

"Are you okay, Chuckie?" Kimi asked her older brother while she and Tommy helped him up.

"Yes… I didn't remember this fence was so close." Chuckie said while rubbing his belly and face. "Your backyard is getting smaller, Tommy?"

"I don't think so, Chuckie. My daddy keeps giving food to it." Tommy shrugged.

"Ah, yes, the one that always have flies around." Lil added.

"And it feels funny when you stand on it." Phil chuckled.

"Hey, babies!"

The group cringed and turned, recognizing the voice. Angelica was approaching them, half-carrying, half-dragging a thick blanket.

"Hi. Angelica; what are you doing with that?" Tommy pointed at the blanket.

"Yes, it's too early for taking a nap… I guess." Chuckie added.

"This isn't for sleeping, dumb babies; is to play a new game. It's called wrestling."

"Grass Ling?" Kimi scratched her head.

"No, it's Gross Thing." Lil attempted to correct.

"Oh, I like it already!" Phil wide smiled.

"You dumb babies don't know anything." Angelica rolled her eyes. "Okay, look, is wrestling, no 'Gross Thing' or 'Grass Ling'; is a game some adults play."

"Then we can't play it." Chuckie pointed.

"No, but we can practice it to play it when we get _growed_-up." Angelica said. "Grandpa Lou explained me how to play it, and my mommy and my daddy explained me a little too, so I can teach you how it works… but this is between us. If Aunt Didi knows you babies are playing this game that's just for adults she'll get angry with my grandpa, and we don't want that, right?"

The babies looked at each other and nodded; they all liked the old man and the last thing they wanted, besides having nothing but peas for lunch, was causing him troubles. The blonde, of course, besides protecting her grandpa was also protecting herself, knowing she would be in trouble if a baby got hurt by her fault.

"Good. Now, I'll start." Angelica cleared her throat while the babies sat around her, with Dil next to Angelica, listening as well even if not fully understanding. "First of all, you must know this is a lot like a fight, but not the same thing. In wrestling, there are rules you have to follow so nobody gets hurt."

"People get hurt in this game?" Chuckie gulped.

"Finster, if you are not careful, you can get hurt with any game." Angelica pointed. Chuckie couldn't help but agree; after all, he just had an accident playing ball no more than two minutes ago. The girl then continued her explanation.

"Some adults hit each other when playing this; since we're just learning, and we don't want anyone getting hurt, we'll not hit. The game is like this; one player tries to the put the other's back on the mat…"

"Mat is the thing that you learn so you can count?" Lil raised her hand.

"That's 'Math', no 'Mat'." Angelica rolled her eyes. "A mat is like the soft thing on your beds where you fall asleep but is a little thinner. Some people do this on a place called 'ring', and before anyone says it, no, it's not like that thing adults wear on their fingers but a very big square-like thing with ropes at the sides."

"But those rings are round, Angelica." Kimi pointed.

"First… good thing you babies at least know shapes, and second, I didn't name it, I just know the name." Angelica continued. "Now, I don't have one of those rings, and since I can't bring a bed out here, we're going to use this blanket, and the grass is a little soft too, so it must work."

"Uh… I think my mommy has some little mats too, Angelica; we use those to take our naps." Tommy pointed; the girl wide-opened her eyes in surprise.

"Finally one of you makes a good suggestion; okay, we'll go bring those mats." The girl leaded the babies inside the house but Dil, who stayed at the backyard playing with his toys. The adults didn't notice them as they took all the mats and carried them to the backyard, as far away from the house as possible and using the backyard's tree for cover. Once the mats got set, Angelica kept explaining.

"Now, as I was saying, you have to put the other player's back on the mat, like this." Angelica explained as lying on the mat. "Look at my shoulders; they both have to be touching the mat."

"So, wrestling is like taking a nap?" Chuckie asked.

"No, Finster… but I'm glad someone besides me finally learned the word." Angelica rolled her eyes. "As I said, you have to put the other player's back on the mat, but that player, that is called a 'wrestler', is trying to do the same with your back. The whole game is trying to put the player's back on the mat without letting him or her doing it to you."

Angelica stood up and grabbed two of Dil's toys he wasn't playing with at the moment, a teddy bear and a soldier, to continue her demonstration. She put the bear on top of the soldier while explaining.

"To put the other player's back on the mat, you have to put your body over him or her like this. You can also grab the legs or the arms of the wrestler so it's harder for him or her to escape. While this happens, the player who's down tries to push you away." Angelica stood up the soldier, moving away the bear, so the babies could understand her better.

"Ah, is like when Phil and I play in the mud but without getting dirty." Lil smiled, getting the basic concept.

"And how do you know when someone wins?" Kimi asked Angelica.

"Well, Grandpa Lou said that when you do the back-on-mat thing it's called 'pin'…"

"You put pins on the wrestler? That must hurt!" Chuckie gasped.

"No, Finster, there are no pins in this game; that's just how the thing is called." Angelica explained. "Anyway, you have to pin' the player for three seconds to win; a person called referee does that."

"Ah, I know those." Phil said. "Those are the people who watch the adults when they play and ground them when they cheat."

"And how much is 'three'?" Tommy asked.

Angelica rubbed her chin; she already knew how to count up to ten, and even to twenty when not wearing shoes and socks, but remembered the babies only knew some numbers' names yet ignored their order. Luckily, one baby was old enough to know that basic information.

"I know how to count 'Three', Angelica." Chuckie pointed at himself.

"Really? Well, then you explain them, Finster." Angelica folded her arms and, like the other kids, looked at Chuckie.

"Let's see… 'Three' is like, Dil, Lil and Phil." Chuckie pointed at the mentioned babies. "Dil is 'one' baby; if we put him with Lil, we have 'two' babies, and if we put Dil, Lil and Phil together, we have 'three' babies."

"That's right, Finster." The blonde got a somehow proud look and then her expression brightened. "Actually… that gives me an idea."

Angelica kneeled in the mat and raised her right hand.

"When we get one of you to play referee, that person is going to count to three with Dil, Lil and Phil's names. Like this." Angelica hit the mat. "Dil", then she raised her hand again and slammed the mat back while saying 'Lil' and repeated the procedure a last time with 'Phil'. "There. Those are three hits in three seconds; once you keep the other wrestler on a 'pin' and the referee counts like that before he or she can escape, that player loses."

"Maybe that's why this is called 'math'; you have to hit it while counting." Lil said as pointing at the mat.

"Now you mention it, sounds logical." Angelica admitted before continuing. "Another way to win is to grab the wrestler so hard he or she can't escape no matter how much tries to do it, and then that wrestler gives up."

The babies nodded in understanding while Angelica stood up, satisfied.

"Okay, now we're ready to play. Since I'm the one that had the idea and is teaching you, babies, I'm going first." Angelica looked at the babies and got a sly grin. "And I want to wrestle… Finster!"

"What?" Chuckie gulped. "Uh… maybe I should just watch, at least this time, so I can learn too."

"No, Finster, you have to wrestle me." Angelica told him. "Look… you want me to hurt Tommy?"

"No, of course not!" Chuckie jumped in defense of Tommy; scared or not, the redhead wouldn't let Angelica or anyone else hurt any of his friends. "You don't need to be that mean or hurt anyone to force us playing with you."

Angelica actually jumped back at this display; it was hard to believe the same boy soft-glaring at her was the same one she could scare and boss with ease most of the time. The girl recovered after a few moments and smiled.

"Now, that's why I have to wrestle you, Finster." Angelica smirked at the boy. "You are the only baby here who is big enough to play this with me without getting hurt. I'm too big for Tommy, Phil, Lil or your sister, and Dil is out of question. Besides, my grandpa said this game is better when there's a chance of losing, and you might win… I doubt it, but hey, your chance is better than the others."

"Uh… but I'm not that big, Angelica. Look, you are still a lot taller than me." Chuckie got back his usual shy tone as standing next to Angelica, the boy barely reaching the girl's nose even if his hair made him look a little taller.

"Yes, but you still are bigger than the others. Stand up, Tommy." Angelica ordered her cousin, who did as said as she stood next to him. "See? His head doesn't even reach my shoulder."

Chuckie and everyone else gave a look at the pair; of course, they already knew Chuckie was the tallest baby, but it was more noticeable when Angelica compared their sizes with her own body; Tommy was barely at her upper belly's height.

"But still… uh… my glasses; I can't play like that with my glasses!" Chuckie thought about another excuse. "I can break them by accident, and if I play without them I don't see very well."

"Oh, don't worry; you don't need to see a lot for this. I'll be very close to you all the time and you'll see me just fine." Angelica shrugged; she knew about Chuckie's poor sight, but it was a sunny day, with lots of light, and Chuckie could distinguish simple forms without his glasses, eliminating that excuse.

"Fine, I'll do it." Chuckie sighed and looked down, gulping. "Just don't hurt me, please."

"I'll not, really." Angelica then cleared her throat. "Okay, now I need a referee and someone to announce the match."

"We can't play with matches, Angelica. Mommy says it's dangerous." Kimi pointed.

"That's another way to say 'game'; you babies really don't know a thing." Angelica rolled her eyes. "Okay, Tommy, I want you to be the referee; Grandpa Lou said the referee can't help a wrestler or like one more than the other, so you are the best for this. You are my cousin so you don't want me losing, right?"

"Uh… no, I don't… I guess," Tommy replied. "But I don't want Chuckie losing too, Angelica."

"Yes, and that's good. You don't want any of us to lose so you'll be happy no matter who wins." Angelica then soft-glared at her cousin, "Just remember, you can't count faster when I have my back on the mat; you have to count the same speed for Finster and for me."

When Tommy nodded, Angelica turned at the other babies.

"You are going to be the audience; you have to make a lot of noise… but not too much so my aunt can't hear us." Angelica cleared. "You can also cheer for the wrestlers; that means you say things like 'Get her', or 'Pin him now', or 'Win' or stuff like that."

Angelica then turned at Chuckie for a last indication.

"Oh, and you need a funny or scary name to play; that's your wrestler name. Think about one while I give Tommy some instructions." Angelica said to her 'opponent' before going with Tommy for some last minute indications. Chuckie scratched his head while thinking and hoping something would happen to stop what was coming.


	2. Ready To Rumble

**- Ready to Rumble.**

"Laddies and germ-to-men, welcome to the first wrestling match in the backyard!" Tommy, using a plastic cup as a microphone, stood on the middle of the mats, addressing the 'crowd', that started clapping and making cheering noises.

Then, through the kids' imagination, the whole scene changed; instead of the backyard, they see themselves in a large arena; instead of the mat, they see a ring, and Tommy is wearing a real referee's outfit instead of his blue shirt and diapers.

"In the… uh… red with some blue corner… Angelica 'The Prettiest Girl in the World and…' uh… and…" Tommy scratched his head. "Angelica, your _rassling_ name is too long."

For a moment, the scene switched back to normal.

"Oh, fine, you can cut it a little bit!" Angelica, using one of the blankets she brought as an improvised cape, groaned at a nodding Tommy.

"Angelica 'Pretty Girl' Pickles!" Tommy announced, getting some cheers (and a few 'boos' from Phil) while Angelica walked into the mat and opened her cape by wide opening her arms. Since the scene changed again to the imagined one, Angelica was now wearing a bright blue cape over a white and pink wrestling outfit with stars at the sides.

"At least you got the important part." Angelica whispered at Tommy, who continued the introduction.

"And, in the blue corner that has a lot more grass around… Chuckie 'Red Chicken' Finster!" Tommy announced, his geeky pal getting a lot more cheering and clapping than Angelica despite entering the ring with an obviously worried look and not wearing his cape as elegantly as the blonde. The boy's imagined wrestling outfit was blue with black pants and boots.

"Win, brother!" Kimi cheered at Chuckie in her usual excited tone.

"Yes, like she said!" Lil joined the cheering.

"The referee is blind!" Everyone turned at Phil, giving him a puzzled look. "What? My daddy and my mommy always yell that to the referees that appear on the _Tee Vee_."

Tommy moved a few steps back; as Angelica told him, he was the one who had to give the signal to start. Chuckie went to his corner and put his glasses on top of the cape before going to ring center to meet Angelica.

"Okay, Finster, give me your hand."

Chuckie needed a few seconds to focus his sight, and after that he thought he was still seeing funny, since Angelica was offering him a handshake.

"Uh… Angelica, you already greeted us."

"No, Finster; my grandpa said that you have to do this before any important game, wrestling or not. He said is a way to promise you'll follow the rules and, even if we're competing, that you'll not be angry with the other person. I don't get why you must do that, but hey, I promised him I would obey the rules because if not he wouldn't teach me anything about wrestling." Angelica explained, her hand still extended; Chuckie thought about it and got a little smile. If Angelica wasn't getting angry or being mean during the game, maybe it wouldn't be that bad, so he shook hands with her.

"Okay, Tommy, is your turn," Angelica said to her cousin after releasing Chuckie's hand.

"Good. Dil, ring the bell." Tommy turned at his little brother, who more or less understood and started shaking a bell Tommy gave to him.

Angelica got something similar to a fight stance while Chuckie mimicked her. However, when Angelica tried grabbing him, the boy got scared and jumped aside. Angelica growled and tried to catch Chuckie again; the boy gulped at the menacing girl approaching him and jumped aside again. Soon, the whole match became a chasing game, with Angelica following Chuckie all over the ring and the crowd encouraging him to keep avoiding her.

"Hey, Finster, you're doing it wrong!"

"You said I had to avoid you putting my back on the mat, and I'm doing it!" Chuckie replied as dodging her again. Angelica was about to snap at him when realized he had a point.

"Okay… yes, you can avoid me, but you have to try pinning me too, and you can't do that by running around!"

Chuckie stopped, realizing she was right and he wasn't following all the rules. This little moment of distraction was all Angelica needed to get him in a tight bear hug, and now the boy was struggling to escape the girl's grip while the crowd urged him to break free.

After a few moments of struggling, Chuckie replied the only way he thought; hugging Angelica back. The boy had to make a major effort but handled to wrap his arms around Angelica's body, hugging her as tight as he could. The blonde was used to receive tight hugs from Harold, her kindergarten buddy, so this maneuver didn't affect her at all and she tightened her own hug a little more and tried to throw Chuckie down, but the boy's own hug prevented that and he almost pulled her down with him.

The girl soon realized that the mutual hugging made her own hold less effective, so switched to a headlock, surprising Chuckie and making him release her. Angelica then threw Chuckie to the mat, the boy landing over his belly. The blonde grabbed him by the legs and twisted them, forcing him to turn; the girl then pounced over the now face-up boy, pinning him against the mat. Tommy realized it was his turn again and kneeled next to the wrestlers.

"Dil!" Tommy hit the mat one time. "Lil!"

What happened next surprised everyone, even Chuckie; despite the girl's weight, the boy handled to lift his left shoulder, so the count stopped on two.

"Hey, not bad! You're learning." Angelica's tone was a new surprise, the girl not seeming to be angry at all despite not winning yet. "But I still don't lose."

Angelica then attempted to pin down Chuckie again, but the boy kept struggling and eventually broke free, standing up while Angelica was still kneeled.

"Chuckie, now you can try pinning her!" Lil shouted at her friend.

Chuckie realized Lil was right and jumped over Angelica, the duo rolling on the mat in front of the others' surprised faces. When they ended rolling, Chuckie was on top, pinning down Angelica.

"Dil!" Tommy jumped into action again. "L…"

Angelica pushed Chuckie away before the second hit came. The girl stood up quickly, and the boy as well, ready to escape if necessary.

"Good one, Finster, but you have to watch my hands and my legs, remember? If not, I can push you aside with ease."

Chuckie nodded, focusing his sight as good as he could without his glasses, realizing Angelica was now trying to grab him by his left side. The boy reacted by slapping away Angelica's hand, gasping after doing it.

"I'm sorry, Angelica! I know I can't hit…"

"Don't worry; slapping or pushing away the hands is allowed, but you better try grabbing them."

Chuckie nodded, now more excited and happy than scared; Angelica wasn't just playing by the rules but was also teaching him how to improve his game. The boy was so distracted by this thought he barely registered Angelica grabbing his right arm. The girl then attempted to do the same with the left one but Chuckie was faster and grabbed her right wrist.

"_I forgot you're left-handed!"_Angelica thought as struggling both to release her wrist and force Chuckie down, the boy resisting quite well. At some point they broke contact but just to grab each other's hands a moment later, linking their fingers, in a strength test.

Angelica and Chuckie struggled, trying to get the upper hand over the other; even if Angelica was stronger than him, the boy's left hand had a quite strong grip and, whenever Angelica tried to push or throw him down, the boy somehow handled to keep his balance, all his friends but Tommy (who couldn't support any wrestler due his referee job) cheering for him. Somehow, this encouraged the boy a lot and forced himself to do his best effort. Chuckie almost pushed or threw down Angelica a couple of times but the girl used her best reach and superior weight to her advantage, resisting as well.

The girl realized that she wasn't going to win just trying to push Chuckie, so started lowering her hands, forcing Chuckie to do the same. Then, when their hands were down, the girl supported her body on the boy's, and, using her legs for impulse, pushed him. This time Angelica's weight forced Chuckie back, and he would have surely fall if not deciding to release the girl's hands at that moment, and, by mere instinct, trying to grab something to stop the fall, and since Angelica's body was the closest thing, the boy hugged her. Angelica's momentum now worked against her, the girl falling along with the boy. Even if the blonde landed over Chuckie, forcing him to release her as well, the girl was so surprised she couldn't pin him, simply rolling at his side. Both wrestlers shook their heads to clear them while the 'audience' kept cheering.

"Oh, yes! Chuckie hasn't lost!" Phil exclaimed.

"I can't believe he's still on the game. Normally he can't win a game, even the simple ones." Kimi commented, smiling at her brother's display.

"Grab her and throw her down, Chuckie! Angelica, move and get him!" Lil was now standing and making throwing moves while shouting, Kimi and Phil turning at her, confused, until the girl calmed down a little bit and smiled at them. "They are playing so good I don't know who I have to support."

Angelica got a sly grin while standing up, the girl already getting an idea to win. The blonde waited until Chuckie was on his feet to make a last sweeping move with her right feet, tripping the boy. Then, Angelica jumped over his back and used a hold her grandpa had described to her; the girl put her legs around Chuckie's waist, wrapping her feet for a stronger grip, and then slipped both arms underneath his armpits, finishing locking her arms behind his neck. Now Chuckie was immobile and she was on total control, applying what, her grandpa told her, was a Full Nelson Body-scissors.

"I can't… ow, I can't escape." Chuckie groaned, doing his best to break free but the girl's grapple was just too tight. Angelica smiled anticipating her victory.

"Maybe pinning you is too hard, Finster, but I can also win if you can't escape." Angelica said as tightening her grip a little more. Tommy moved next to Chuckie, looking at his friend in concern.

"Chuckie, she's hurting you?"

"Not really, Tommy… is just that I can't move!"

"Oh… okay… then, you're giving up?" Tommy asked, back into referee mode.

"Don't give up!" Kimi shouted at her brother, her little hands around her mouth for a megaphone-like effect.

"Yes, you can still win!" Phil added on a similar way.

"Don't give up, Chuckie! Don't release him, Angelica!" Lil continued with her double-cheering while Dil giggled at the scene.

Chuckie tried to escape again, but no matter how much he tried, Angelica had him where she wanted. He was ready to give up when hearing her voice.

"Hey, come on, Finster, try a little more! Of course, I'm going to win, but you are supposed to try a lot before giving up."

Chuckie wide-opened his little eyes, surprised; even if she was winning, Angelica was somehow encouraging him! The redhead started thinking and then got an idea; if it failed, at least he knew he had done his best.

The boy remembered Angelica's words; you have to watch the other wrestler hands _and _legs; not just that, but he also remembered both he and the girl weren't standing up but down at the mat. Now, he couldn't use his hands or arms at the moment, but his legs were free. The boy stopped moving them without purpose and instead planted his feet on the mat and pushed; as a result, his body pushed Angelica's, who was still not releasing him, but now he was on top of the girl.

"Tommy, count!" Chuckie shouted. The bald baby realized Angelica's shoulders were now touching the mat, and she couldn't escape without releasing Chuckie. Tommy moved next to Angelica to hit the mat.

"Dil!"

The blonde then realized she was pinned against the mat, and un-wrapped her legs so they no longer were around the boy's waist, the girl now trying to escape; unfortunately, the way she secured Chuckie's arms and legs was a lot more complex and she couldn't undo it quickly without hurting Chuckie or herself.

"Lil!"

Angelica did her best to unlock their arms, especially when hearing Tommy's second slap. However, the moment Chuckie felt her legs were no longer trapping him the boy pushed harder, supporting all his weight over Angelica plus pushing her chest with his head, and turned the Nelson against Angelica by securing her arms with his armpits while grabbing them with his hands, making the escape more difficult and the pin more effective.

"PHIL!"

Dil, weirdly enough, started ringing his bell again, probably just because he had seen Lil doing a lot of noise and wanted to join the fun. The babies at the 'crowd' started jumping in happiness, cheering for Chuckie, while, on the mat, the redhead stopped resisting so Angelica could push him away.

"Chuckie, you did it!" Kimi said to the redhead, her tone even more cheerful than usual. The boy shook his head in confusion while Tommy helped him stand up.

"Uh… what I did?"

"You won, Chuckie!" Tommy told his friend.

"I won… I REALLY WON?" Chuckie exclaimed, not believing he was actually saying that for real, but realized it was truth by all the cheering he was getting; this was even more surprising due the fact he practically fought by mere instinct and quick thinking, as if wrestling was just as natural for him as running in fear or hiding under a bed. However, the cheering stopped suddenly and a loud gulp was soon heard coming from all the other babies' throats. Chuckie turned and realized Angelica was on her feet, approaching him with a very serious look.

"Uh… Angelica… well… you see…" Chuckie became quite nervous; he knew Angelica was a sore loser. The girl stopped in front of him, still frowning at the boy.

"And again, you babies are doing it wrong." Angelica grabbed Chuckie's wrist and then turned at Tommy. "You're supposed to raise the hand of the wrestler who wins and then announce him as the winner."

Tommy, visibly as surprised as everyone else, recovered from the impression and cleared his throat, grabbing Chuckie's other wrist, Angelica releasing him so her cousin could do his job.

"And the winner is… Chuckie, 'Red Chicken', Finster!" Tommy exclaimed while raising his friend's hand, Chuckie smiling widely at the general ovation. Phil handled him his glasses back, and the redhead was glad he did it or he wouldn't see clearly that, just next to him, Angelica was clapping as well.

"You aren't angry?" Chuckie asked the girl as the children stopped imagining and the backyard, outfits and mats came back to normal.

"Well, I'm a little upset because I wanted to win." Angelica folded her arms yet had no angry expression. "But… I must admit this was funny; and you really impressed me, Finster! I knew you weren't totally hopeless."

Chuckie felt a warm sensation on his chest and his smile broadening; then, before realizing what he was doing, the boy gave Angelica a tight, warm hug.

"Hey, we're not wrestling now!" The blonde complained.

"I just want to thank you." The boy's happy tone made the girl get a surprised face. "You are the one who taught me, so, if I won, it's because of you."

"Well… yes, I taught you." Angelica smiled in realization. "And you did it very well; that means I'm a very good teacher." The girl got her trademark sly grin. "And now I'm going to teach you another thing."

"What?" Chuckie, still smiling, broke the hug to look at her face.

"When a wrestler wins, the other can ask for a rematch. That means you have to give a chance to the wrestler so he or she can try winning again." Angelica poked Chuckie's nose playfully. "So… Finster, Champ of The Backyard, I, Angelica 'Pretty Girl', want a rematch!"

"Yay!" The other babies exclaimed while Chuckie got a stunned face.

"Say 'yes', Chuckie! I want to see that again!" Lil exclaimed.

"It looked like fun! I want to see again too!" Phil added.

"And I liked playing reef-a-ring… I mean, referee; I learned to count to 'Three' and also a new word." Tommy said.

"And you might win again." Kimi pointed. Chuckie looked back at Angelica, who now was giving him a friendly smile.

"I don't think so but, hey, it might happen."

Chuckie got back his smile and turned at his corner.

"Someone give me my cape!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hi, Lucy, Susie," Didi opened the door to Lucy Carmichael and her daughter Susie.

"Hi, Mrs. Pickles. Thanks for taking care of me today." Susie replied in her usual polite way.

"You're welcome, Susie. Angelica and the babies are playing at the backyard; you can go with them." Didi said to the little girl, who simply nodded before heading to the backyard while Lucy talked with the redhead woman.

"Thanks, Didi. I know you are already taking care of the other kids, and…"

"Oh, is okay, Lucy. Susie is such a nice girl she actually helps me with the other children." Didi and Lucy chuckled while the redhead invited her friend in. "I'm preparing the kids' lunch right now so they can eat before taking their nap… but I can't find the mats. Maybe Stu grabbed them because at times uses a mat when he is working on an invention and needs to lay on his back for a while, but it's rare that he needs all of them at once… and I can't ask him where he put them because he and Lulu are still at the supermarket."

"He doesn't have a cell phone?" Lucy asked.

"He had one; used some parts of it to repair the microwave." Didi rolled her eyes. "Now my oven has the 'Dummie Bears' ringtone."

While the women talked, Susie was already at the backyard looking for everyone. She knew they have the habit of hiding or going on little adventures, so was aware this might take a while. The girl then noticed Spike is looking at something behind the tree, and then hears the babies' voices.

"_Ah, they are behind the tree and next to the bushes."_ Susie thought as approaching, freezing on the spot when realizing what's going on.

"Oh, my… Angelica, don't hurt him!" Susie exclaimed in fear and concern, looking at Angelica trying to grab Chuckie, finally succeeding, and she started struggling with him, the pair rolling on the mats.

Susie's voice got ignored, and she was about to stop them when realizing the other babies weren't scared or trying to help Chuckie, but cheering at the duo; even Tommy seemed happy, standing right aside Chuckie and Angelica. The Carmichael girl then got even more impressed when realizing Angelica wasn't dominating or hurting Chuckie as he was fighting back with the same intensity, and, curiously, they both seemed to be smiling, showing no anger at all. This didn't change even when Angelica ended on top of Chuckie, sitting on his belly and using her legs to keep the boy's arms at his sides, in a half-made Scissors hold, while leaning back her upper body and supporting her arms on Chuckie's legs to secure them as well. Tommy then looked at Chuckie and his shoulders, and started hitting the mat.

"Dil!... Lil!... PHIL!"

"I won! Yes!" Angelica exclaimed in happiness as releasing Chuckie and standing up, doing a little victory dance, the babies cheering at her while Tommy helped Chuckie stand up. Tommy then approached her cousin, and got a slightly worried look.

"Uh… Angelica, you're too big; I can't raise your hand."

"I can do that, Tommy; you just announce that she won." Chuckie told him while approaching Angelica, the blonde smiling and allowing him grab her wrist and raise her arm while Tommy did his job.

"And the winner… Angelica 'Pretty Girl' Pickles!"

"Thanks, thank you, my dear fans!" Angelica said in response of the kids' cheering before turning at Chuckie, cleaning some sweat from her forehead. "You did it good, Finster. I won but this time you resisted a lot more."

"Thanks, Angelica." Chuckie smiled fondly at the blonde, surprising Susie even more.

"Can someone explain me what's happening?" Susie asked loudly, the others finally noticing her.

"Hi, Susie; Angelica is teaching us a new game. It's… uh… I don't get the name right." Kimi said, turning at Angelica and Chuckie.

"Is 'wrestling', Kimi." Chuckie reminded his sister.

"'Wrestling'… hey, that's something my brothers watch on TV; my mom doesn't like when they do it. She always says kids shouldn't see something like that." Susie said, soft glaring at Angelica. "You can hurt them!"

"Hey, I'm no fool, Carmichael! The only baby I'm wrestling is Finster, and he's just a little bit shorter than me; I'm not playing this with a little baby I can defeat with ease. And I'm not hitting him; just pinning and grabbing without hurting ourselves," Angelica explained.

"Yes, she's right." Tommy added. "Chuckie even won the first time they played."

"Chuckie won?" Susie got a surprised expression. It's not common to hear those words on the same sentence.

"Uh, well… since he was just learning, I went easy on him." Angelica replied, obviously not very comfortable about Susie knowing she lost to a baby, but then realized Chuckie would be the offended one; suddenly, that idea wasn't as appealing as usual. "But… I must say, Finster is very strong for a baby, and learns very fast. It took me a lot of effort to win."

Susie now was even more surprised; Angelica saying something good about a baby was another major shock. The African-American girl was now seriously thinking this was just another of Angelica's lies, but the other kids seemed to agree with her without resisting or objecting, and Chuckie had the usual blush he got when being complimented.

"Now, Carmichael, this is important." Angelica got a tone Susie was a lot more familiar with, a threatening one. "I know we aren't supposed to play this, but I wanted to practice to play it better when growing up, and I'm also teaching the babies; so, you must not say anything to the adults. I don't want to be grounded, and my Grandpa Lou taught me some of this, so if you say something the other adults will get angry with him."

Susie got a thoughtful face; on one hand, she didn't want to be Angelica's accomplice, especially when she was doing something kids weren't supposed to, and disliked the idea of a baby getting hurt; on the other one, Susie didn't want to cause any trouble to Tommy and Dil's grandfather, and everyone seemed to be okay, besides it appeared that both Angelica and Chuckie were playing nicely and enjoying it.

"Well, I promise I'm not saying anything, but you have to promise you're just playing this with Chuckie. I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"Me neither. Good to see we're thinking the same." Angelica replied, her expression both relieved due being out of trouble and happy due winning an argument with Susie.

"Oh, but I wanted to play too!" Phil complained.

"Well, I already taught Finster; maybe, when you babies grow a little more, you'll play this with him." Angelica shrugged. Phil was actually satisfied with that idea; he wrestling Chuckie, considering the age and size difference, would be quite similar to Chuckie wrestling the blonde.

"And, anyway, you kids aren't playing more wrestling today." Susie said as pointing at the mats. "It's almost time for napping, and we'll need those."


	3. Timing

- **Timing.**

A few minutes later the babies, Susie and Angelica were at the play pen, eating the lunch Didi prepared for them, the mats already set for the nap after eating. The blonde told her aunt she had taken the mats for her and the babies rolling and jumping on them, which was actually half-true, explaining why the woman hadn't found them.

"So, Angelica, you got the whole idea from your grandpa?" Susie asked her friend as they ate a sandwich each.

"No. He explained me how to do it, and all the game's words, but I got the idea from my mommy and my daddy."

"Funny; most parents don't talk to their kids about wrestling until they grow older… well, that's what my brothers say." Susie shrugged.

"They had to; I saw them doing it the other night and then had to explain me."

"Your mommy and your daddy play wrestling too?" Kimi stopped drinking her juice, turning at the blonde.

"Whoa! Then the game must be very popular." Lil exclaimed.

"When did you see them wrestling?" Susie turned back at Angelica.

"Well, last night I got thirsty and had to go to the kitchen for some water…"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**FLASHBACK.**

Angelica, in her pajamas, walked back to her room after drinking water, the girl using a flashlight to illuminate her way. She passed near her parents' bedroom, and suddenly heard some weird noises coming from the inside.

"_What's that? It sounds like Mom making animal noises." _Angelica thought. The girl approached the door and leaned her ear against it, hearing a little clearer; it sounded like her parents were doing something quite tiring, since they were groaning and panting.

"_Maybe they're trying to fit on those tight clothes Grandma Lulu bought for them."_ Angelica shrugged and started to walk away, but, then again, this is Angelica we're talking about, so she was just too curious. The girl opened the door slightly and illuminated the room with her flashlight, getting a little sneak peek inside.

The girl wide opened her eyes in surprise and opened the door a lot more, not believing what was happening, forgetting all caution and talking in a tone that wasn't loud enough to be a yell but still a lot louder than normal.

"Dad, Mom, why are you two fighting?"

The adults finally realized they had public and covered themselves with the bed's sheets and blankets.

"**ANGELICA!"**The couple yelped in surprise. "**GO TO YOUR ROOM!"**

The girl yipped and ran back to her bedroom, opening and closing the door in a hurry and jumping at her bed, hiding under the blanket.

"_Oh, great, I'm in trouble! Bu__t why I'm in trouble? I'm not the one who was fighting! And their room was a mess… all their clothing at the floor! And they are the ones always telling me to clean my bedroom!"_

A few moments later, Drew and Charlotte, both of them on pajamas, their hair a mess and with embarrassed faces, went to Angelica's room.

"Uh… Angelica, you can get out of there. You're not in trouble." Charlotte told her daughter, the girl calming down a little bit and emerging from under the blanket.

"I'm not?"

"No, you are not… you did nothing wrong, except being up after your bedtime." Drew said in his best calming tone while sitting at one side of the bed and Charlotte doing it at the other.

"Sorry. I wanted water and went to the kitchen, and then heard noises from your room…" Angelica's worried tone was slowly changing to her curious one. "And why you two were fighting? And why all the clothes were at the floor?"

"Uh, well, you see… we were… uh…" Drew gulped and rubbed the back of his neck.

"We were playing, Angelica." Charlotte ended her relieved husband's phrase. "Sometimes… mommies and daddies want to play on their rooms, with nobody watching… not because is something wrong, but because is a private thing."

"Oh. And what you were playing?"

Now it was Charlotte's turn to get a nervous face, biting her lower lip, until Drew came with an excuse.

"WRESTLING!" Drew said to his daughter. "Yeah, that's it; we were playing wrestling. It's a game for adults only."

"_Guess_…ling?" Angelica arched an eyebrow. "And you play that without clothing?"

"Uh… normally, no, you don't." Charlotte said. "Actually, many people play wrestling with public cheering for them, like they do with baseball or football, but your dad and I were playing a special type of wrestling only mommies and daddies play, and we like doing this without people watching."

"And you two play this all nights?"

"Well… no, because, well, we like the game, but it's a little tiring... very hard to do it every night…" Drew gave Charlotte a nervous glance, the woman blushing a little bit.

"Yes, sometimes, if we are so tired after work, we only play this once a week, and, if we are feeling fine, well, we play it several nights in a row." Charlotte added, now being Drew's turn to blush.

"And who wins the most of you two?" Angelica grinned, happy for learning about a new game.

"Eh, well… the way we play it, you win just by liking the game." Charlotte said, giving her husband a sly smile. "And I think we both win all the time."

"Oh, yes… and how." Drew chuckled a little bit before turning back at Angelica. "Now, the most important thing you must know, is that there are many ways to play this, but the way your mom and I do it is just for mommies and daddies, or adults that are very special to each other. Your mom is very special to me, so I don't do this with any other woman."

"And I don't do this with other men." Charlotte added, with she and Drew giving each other another fond look while Angelica pondered about the information her parents gave to her.

"Ah… and you take out your clothes because…?"

"You saw it's a lot like a fight, even if we don't really damage each other; if we were wearing clothes, they would rip or wrinkle." Charlotte explained.

"And the people who do this in public, they do it without clothes too?"

Drew and Charlotte exchanged glances, gulping.

"Uh… no, but they have special clothing that doesn't rip so easily." Drew got hit by inspiration. "Actually, my dad used to be one of those persons who did it with public, and he was good; his wrestling name was 'The Pretzel-Maker', and at times your uncle Stu and I saw him."

Angelica heard a few stories of her grandfather's career as a rookie wrestler that worked just fine for Charlotte and Drew to stop inventing stuff about their 'match'.

**END FLASHBACK.**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"And that's what happened." Angelica finished.

"You think our parents play like that too?" Lil asked to nobody in particular.

"I don't know. Sometimes when I'm in my room at night I hear noises like those Angelica described, but with my brothers around, you get used to all kind of weird sounds." Susie shrugged.

"Chuckie and I sometimes hear those noises too, but he never lets me go investigate them." Kimi pointed.

"Hey, you never know if the noise is from something scary or dangerous." Chuckie commented.

"I hear those noises too sometimes, but I always hear lots of noises when my daddy is making toys." Tommy said.

"Phil and I normally hear no noises at night. But when we're sleeping is very hard to wake us." Lil commented while Phil kept eating.

"I don't think they play like that, Lil; Mom is a lot more _biggerer _than Dad and she can hurt him." Phil paused his eating.

"Or maybe she's very careful to not hurt him." Lil said to his brother, who thought about it for a moment before shrugging and going back to eating.

A few minutes later, the kids were done and Didi cleaned up so they could take their nap. Susie wasn't that tired but thought she could try sleeping a little bit; besides, it was always amusing to hear Angelica complaining about her being a 'big girl' that didn't need napping anymore. Being the oldest girl, Didi trusted Susie with the blankets, telling her to start giving them to everyone while she dropped the dishes at the kitchen.

"Okay, everyone, grab a blanket and…" Susie, once again, was speechless; this time, however, she started chuckling after a few seconds. The other babies turned at what she was seeing and giggled at the scene.

"Guess that's why adults play that on their beds; they get tired." Tommy commented while looking at Angelica and Chuckie soundly sleeping one next to the other on a mat each. Kimi and Lil covered Chuckie with a blanket while Susie did the same with Angelica.

"Aw, how cute," Didi said as entering the room, smiling at Chuckie and Angelica being attended by the other kids. "Now, the rest of you must sleep too."

Didi accommodated the other babies and Susie, and, after giving Tommy and Dil's foreheads a quick kiss each, left again, just in time to see Stu and Lulu returning from the supermarket. The redhead woman woke up Lou, who had fallen asleep in front of the TV, as usual, so everyone could help carry in the groceries from the car.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A while later, while Stu was working at the basement, and hopefully, not destroying it this time, Didi, Lulu and Lou were at the kitchen cooking dinner, the children still sleeping. Drew arrived at that moment, Lou opening the door.

"Hi, Dad; sorry I didn't greet you a while ago but I was in a hurry."

"Oh, it's okay; I had a nice time talking with Angelica before I took my nap." The elder replied good humored. "And she told me you had been telling her stories from my wrestling days."

"Uh, well, I had a… slip of the tongue, and you know, you have to clear children's doubts so they don't get wrong ideas." Drew replied a little bit nervously.

"I know," Lou whispered, wrongly guessing the reason his older son seemed nervous. "Didi is at the kitchen with Lulu; we'll chat later."

Drew nodded at his father, relieved that he thought he was nervous because of Didi's usual disliking of the topic. The men entered the kitchen, ignoring Angelica was waking up and her yawning and stretching was waking up Chuckie as well.

"You slept well?" Chuckie asked her while rubbing his eyes.

"Yes… but I still feel sleepy. I only woke up because I heard someone ringing the doorbell." The girl replied after a particularly large yawn.

"I still feel sleepy too. Wrestling is very tiring." Chuckie commented before giving her a little smile. "But I liked that game a lot."

"I liked it too." Angelica replied while accommodating to going back to sleep. "I think we did it quite well for our first time."

"I think you were very good. If I wasn't so tired, well… I would ask you for another game right now." Chuckie admitted, giving her a shy smile.

"Same here," Angelica gave him a rarely seen fond grin. "You know, we need to do it again soon so we can break the tie."

"But breaking ties is very hard; it's easier to rip or cut them… and I don't think breaking our _daddies_ ties is a good idea."

"Not that kind of tie, Finster." Angelica chuckled slightly. "You won once, and I won the next time, so now we have to play again to see who wins the most."

The blonde got a thoughtful expression after saying this, Chuckie noticing immediately.

"What are you thinking?"

"Well… my parents say the way they play the two wrestlers win if they both enjoy the game; if that's right, then I think you and I won the two matches. Normally I like being the one and only winner but… this time I don't care, and I'm actually happy you liked playing with me."

"Then… that means I'm your special partner for this game?" Chuckie gave her a hopeful look.

"Well, you heard Susie… I can't play this with other kids, and I think she doesn't like the game that much, so guess that means you would be my special partner; but then you wouldn't be able to play this with other kids too."

Chuckie thought about that for a moment before shrugging.

"We can teach Tommy, Phil, Kimi and Lil, and then they can play between them."

"You don't want playing with them?" Angelica wide-opened her eyes, surprised at Chuckie's words; she knew he usually liked playing with his other baby friends rather than with her.

"Well, when you and I play together without you being mean or I being afraid… I like it; I like it a lot."

Angelica felt a smile broadening on her face and a warm feeling on her chest at the kid's words while Chuckie continued.

"Besides, they're all the same size; I think they will enjoy it a lot more than wrestling you or me."

"And then, you'll only play this with me." Angelica pointed. "But remember, when we start doing that I'll never play wrestling with another boy, even if he's my size, and you'll never play this with any other girl."

"And I'll do my best to improve so you'll always like playing with me." Chuckie offered his hand to her. "So, it's a promise?"

Angelica thought about this for a few seconds; she wasn't known for keeping her promises and when making one she normally was lying. However, she decided to be honest this time; she had enjoyed the game a lot and her opinion of Chuckie had improved considerably. If she was allowed to have only one special wrestling partner for the rest of her life, Chuckie wasn't a bad option at all.

"Promise; and I'm not saying a lie." Angelica shook hands with the boy and the duo shared a last smile before going back to sleep.

Meanwhile, at the kitchen, Drew took advantage of Lulu and Lou moving apart of her and Didi for some of their usual elder couple's flirting; Drew approached Didi, who was giving the last touches to her meat loaf, and whispered at her.

"Didi, Angelica mentioned something about, you know…"

"No, she didn't. Angelica had actually behaved quite well today." Didi replied, also in a whispering tone.

"Good." Drew sighed; of course, he couldn't tell Didi that, due that little 'cover story', Angelica asked his father about wrestling, knowing his sister-in-law disliked it, and not wanting to later explain his old man the circumstances that made him and Charlotte to tell Angelica about the elder's younger days' hobby.

"Oh, and Drew, don't feel bad. Actually, I think that, considering the circumstances, you and Charlotte came with a more or less good story. Certainly, it would be better to tell Angelica the truth, but she's a little young to fully understand the real thing. Besides, considering you gave her some warnings and even a few… slightly altered true facts, she might understand the real stuff a lot better when the right time comes."

"Guess you're right." Drew chuckled slightly, relief evident on his face. "After all, she's just three; how much of an impact this incident can really make on her?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Epilogue.**

"Hurry up, Cynthia; I want to go back to sleep." A blond four years old kid, glasses covering his little blue eyes, whispered at his one year younger sister, a long haired green-eyed redhead girl with a few freckles on her face, both siblings on their pajamas and the boy holding a little flashlight, quite logical since it was almost midnight.

"I'm coming." The girl yawned after leaving her glass at the sink. "You know sometimes I get thirsty at night, and I didn't want to wake up Mommy or Daddy."

"And you had to wake me up; just because you're afraid of dark…" Charlie's complain was cut by his sister poking his chest.

"Hey, remember our promise! You don't make fun or complain about me fearing darkness and spiders, and I don't say anything about you fearing clowns and high places."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Charlie groaned while Cynthia changed to a more playful mode.

"Besides, you don't want me tripping or walking alone in the dark because I'm your most favorite little sister."

"You're my only sister." Charlie chuckled while poking her. "Come on, we have to go back to our room."

"Yes… oh, and can I sleep in your bed?"

"Cynthia, you have your own bed."

"Yes, but my teddy bear is dirty and Daddy is washing it tomorrow; and without my teddy bear, you're the only thing I can hug all night."

"You can hug another toy or a pillow."

"Yes, but I like hugging you better." Cynthia smiled at the boy. Charlie sighed and got a little smile; he just couldn't win any argument with his little sister but at times he didn't really care.

"Fine… but don't kick me."

The siblings walked upstairs and passed next to their parents' room, stopping when hearing weird noises coming from the inside.

"What's that sound?" Cynthia asked her brother.

"I don't know." The boy shrugged.

"Let's take a look." The girl approached the door.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Charlie said as putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Stop imitating Daddy; besides, what if they're in trouble? That noise sounds like a weird _aminal_ in their room."

"Well… okay, let's take a look." Charlie moved aside his sister. "You open the door and I illuminate with my light."

Cynthia nodded and grabbed the doorknob. When the boy gave him a signal, the girl opened the door while he used his flashlight… that wasn't really needed since the room's lights were on, something the kids hadn't realized.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" The stunned siblings chorused, while their parents froze on their current position. A quite attractive blond woman, wearing red and blue wrestling tights, had her husband on a headlock; the man, a messy-haired redhead with a lean yet strong body, wearing white wrestling pants and his torso uncovered, had his arms around her waist; they were standing on a mat right next to their bed, and, apparently, he was ready to lift her the moment the kids entered the room.

"Uh… eh… we're playing." The woman replied, a little bit nervously, right before she and her husband released each other.

"And, uh… what are you kids doing out of bed?" The man, blushing, asked the children.

"I wanted some water and Charlie came with me." Cynthia explained. "And what you were playing?"

"Yes, you always say that after bedtime is no longer time for playing." Charlie pointed.

The couple looked at each other for a few moments before the man sighed, grabbed his glasses from a nearby shelf and turned at the kids.

"I'll tell you what; you two go to sleep, and we'll tell you kids everything in the morning."

"You promise?" The siblings chorused in perfect synchrony.

"_They do that so well they almost seem twins."_ The man chuckled at his thought before nodding at them. "Yes. Special Finster Promise to you two; never breaking it and always being honest."

"Now, you go to sleep; it's late, and tomorrow we're going to visit Uncle Phil and Aunt Kimi; and you don't want to miss those really good lunches he prepares." The woman offered her hands to the kids, who nodded at her and grabbed a hand each. She then took the children to their room while her husband sighed in relief and said a last 'Good Night' to them before rolling on the mat and putting it back into the closet.

"We need to start locking the door." The redhead commented at his wife when she returned a few minutes later, the woman closing the door and locking it as said.

"Hey, I never thought they would find us. I mean, you already said them to not enter the room when hearing me yelling, and since I do that almost all nights…"

The man got a little smile while his cheeks' turned slightly red.

"See the bright side; we can tell them the truth." The redhead pointed. "If they had entered ten minutes later, we would be telling the same thing but it would be a lie."

"Tell me about it." The blonde rolled her eyes. "At least their timing is a lot better than mine."

"Yeah… you know, this can be good; now we'll be able to show them our trophies and pictures." The redhead shrugged, "I want them to say their parents did cool stuff when young; so far, the only cool thing they can say about me is the time we went to the carnival and I didn't get sick on the roller coaster."

"Well, you know how it works; you're the nice parent while I'm the cool one." The blonde smirked at him, the man chuckling at the comment. "And yes, you are right; I want them to know their mom was the city's judo and karate champion, and that their dad was the best high school and college wrestler ever."

"I wasn't the best ever; okay, I won a few titles…"

"You were champion five years in a row." The blonde smiled fondly at him as they both sat at the bed.

"Yes… but only because my sparring partner was a lot better than any of the other wrestlers. And you still are the best, Angelica."

"You said it, Chuckie; the secret is a good sparring partner. If I can break free from a hold of yours, then anyone else had no chance… especially considering that, when you hold me, most of the time I don't want to escape." The couple shared a quick kiss, staring at each other for a few minutes when breaking contact.

Over the years, wrestling became Chuckie and Angelica favorite game, possibly because it was the only one where they were on equal terms, at least, until Angelica became a little bit kinder and could have fun with him without yelling or bossing the redhead all the time while playing other games or just hanging around. This didn't change even when they were old enough to know what Charlotte and Drew were really doing when they meant 'wrestling'; once they overcame the initial shock, Angelica and Chuckie kept playing as always.

Even when Angelica became part of the popular crew at school while Chuckie remained in the 'losers' category and therefore being bossed and insulted by her in public, wrestling remained common ground for them, and it wasn't rare that, either after or before the match and no matter who won it, Angelica apologized with Chuckie for mistreating him; she knew he didn't deserve it, and with Chuckie never developing harsh feelings she started feeling very guilty when being mean with the geek so, slowly but surely, the blonde stopped doing it, even standing in his defense whenever someone badmouthed her wrestling partner; this caused her to lose some of her position on the school's hierarchy but, surprisingly for her, Angelica found she didn't really care, Chuckie being much more important to her than popularity.

Also, as they promised to each other, the duo did their best to improve, none wanting to be overpowered by the other. Angelica knew she couldn't simply ask for wrestling lessons but her grandpa kept telling her stories, learning holds and moves she also taught Chuckie, and, when old enough, the blonde asked her parents to matriculate her in judo and karate lessons, the girl learning ways to apply and counterattack holds, and enhancing her speed and agility. Chuckie, on the other hand, joined his school's wrestling team, and having Mister Pangborn, a former wrestling champion, as the team's coach, he learned a lot from his experience, and soon developed a body structure that was both strong and agile. By wrestling each other on a regular basis, Chuckie and Angelica got an edge over their teammates and dojo partners, respectively, and over the competition as well; the redhead could defeat heavier and stronger wrestlers with relative ease while the blonde got her black belt in both martial arts in record time. They became each other's biggest fan, Angelica going to all his wrestling matches and him doing the same with her karate and judo exams and competitions, Chuckie admiring his friend's progress as much as she did with his.

The best of this situation, however, was the emotional aspect of their relationship. Chuckie gained lots of confidence and self-respect while Angelica learned discipline and sportive spirit, plus none developed a major ego (which wouldn't be so hard in Angelica's case) due they always knowing there was someone who could match and even surpass his/her own skill. This mutual respect and close contact eventually revealed to the duo what they always suspected; that, deep down, they always had feelings for each other, and that these had grown and matured over the years. Chuckie and Angelica started dating during his last junior-high school semester, and got married a year after his college graduation; despite having ups and downs and their personalities colliding at times, they were a very solid couple, and still loved each other as much as if they had wed just the previous day.

"Of course, if the kids hadn't entered at that moment, I would have won this one and break our tie." Angelica gave Chuckie her best playful smirk.

"Please, I had you where I wanted." Chuckie smirked back.

"With your head being pressed by my arms and against my chest?" Angelica gave him a flirty look, Chuckie smiling widely in reply.

"Well… I was quite comfortable there…"

"You're hopeless." Angelica replied in a fake angry tone, Chuckie shaking his head while his smile broadened and the blonde continued. "Want to finish that round?"

"Of course… but… we can also go for option two; skip the rest of the round, have the tie-breaker another day, and pass directly to our usual aftermath right now."

Angelica got her sly look and turned off the lights, she and Chuckie embracing a moment later.

"Sometimes you're not that hopeless, Mister Finster."

**THE END.**

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(Why you never allow Finster and I completing those scenes?) Because I have a rating to respect, Angelica; besides, you two do enough off-screen stuff for a dozen M-rated stories. (_-Blushing- _You got me there)

I want to thank everyone who reviewed the story. (Yes, and, as usual, we hope you enjoyed reading it as much as the author liked writing it… of course, nobody enjoyed it as much as I did –_chuckles-._) Angelica, remember the rating. (Acosta, remember I can wrestle.) Eh… want to say the goodbye phrase?

(Of course; so long, everyone, and keep the good writing.)


End file.
